Help! D21 wants to go into nursing, which she’s always been very passionate about. She is very bright and has aptitude for math and sciences, but has really struggled in high school. Her GPA is dismal–about a 2.8 at a rigorous prep school. Pre-ACT was a 26, so she’ll probably test well, but I know from doing some very basic looking around that she will likely not be a candidate for any direct-admit programs, unless any of you have suggestions? At this point, I’m thinking it’s probably best for her to start at community college, get her ADN, and then perhaps transfer in to a BSN program somewhere, provided she does well enough and is able to stick with this. I do believe that she’s capable of doing well and will thrive when she’s in classes that are moving her towards her dream. I just feel very out of my element with all this since it’s a little different than typical college admissions. We are in Northern VA.
@g8rmomk8ans Are your daughter’s grades better in science and math? Usually those subjects are considered more important in nursing admissions. I do think some of the many smaller private Pennsylvania colleges that have nursing programs may be possibilities for direct admit. Check out Wilson, Neumann, Holy Family, Carlow, Alvernia, Misericordia, Immaculata, Gwynedd Mercy. In New York, try D’Youville, Roberts Wesleyan, and Elmira. In Ohio, Ursuline. In Virginia, Marymount. This is just a sample. Hopefully you and your daughter are open to Catholic schools, as so many of them offer nursing programs. I don’t know about Virginia, but here in Pennsylvania admission to community college nursing programs is much more competitive than admission to many of the 4-year nursing programs, as most community college programs are not direct entry but require a (sometimes very) competitive admissions process after prerequisites have been completed. Here is a list of all approved nursing programs in Pennsylvania. Some of the schools’ websites state minimum requirements for admission, but you will need to contact individual schools to get more information regarding how competitive their nursing admissions are.
file:///home/chronos/u-fd0a6b457b6c10b21be6a04ed5aa0164b35fa7b8/MyFiles/Downloads/List-of-RN-Programs.pdf
If you can’t get that link to work, try googling PA Dept. of Nursing approved schools.
Have you looked at this thread? http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/nursing-major/2159604-nursing-safety-schools.html#latest
and this one too…
http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/nursing-major/2157466-less-competitive-oos-direct-entry-nursing-options.html#latest
@g8rmomk8ans In October (in another thread) you said your daughter was intent on becoming a high school math teacher. So I’m guessing nursing is a new idea. You may want to give it some more time - at least until late summer - to see if she continues to want nursing and whether she is willing and able to commit not only to the rather difficult path of nursing school but to the possibility that she may need to consider the smaller and/or less selective schools where she may have a chance of admission.
@kidzncatz, unfortunately, religious-based schools are a no-go for us . Marymount is just down the street so I wish that wasn’t the case. @Mwfan1921 , yes, I saw both of those threads. I just honestly don’t know if she has a shot anywhere at this point with her grades and that’s what I’m trying to figure out. They are so much lower than other “lower stat” grades that are posted. She may need to get an AA at community college—get good grades—and then start over at a 4-year college to try to get in as a transfer. I’m really hoping her college counselors can advise on nursing!
@g8rmomk8ans If your daughter insists on a big secular school with the “full college experience”, it’s much less likely that she can get into a direct entry nursing program. Unfortunately, it is often just as hard if not harder to get accepted as a transfer. Many schools don’t even accept nursing transfers. Hopefully her college counselors can give you some tips.
@kidncatz, definitely doesn’t need the full college experience, which is why we’re gearing towards community college, just want to also investigate any direct admit schools she might be able to get in so that she has some options. We’ll definitely look at some of the PA schools and see their requirements. There’s a smaller public here in Va, Longwood University, that I thought could be a good fit for her, but they require a minimum 3.2 gpa out of high school to even apply for their direct admit program. I’m so frustrated with her…I’ve been telling her for years that she’s going to regret not working harder/doing her best. She’s at a private school with a lot of support for her LDs and still hasn’t done well. It’s all coming back to bite her in the butt now!
I would recommend she tries to get some nursing / healthcare experience over the summer. Start volunteering. Get her cpr qualification. I think that would all help. Can she also take an online AP course to boost her gpa?
If you are open to traveling west , Univ of Nevada has a big pre nursing prog. She will get a BSc in Public Health if she doesn’t get into nursing after two years and scoring quite highly on the Hesse ?sp) But I don’t believe those who don’t get in are close to the numbers in other pre nursing programs. She could then apply for an accelerated BSN. I am sure there are other schools like that as well.
My daughter also didn’t think she wanted a small religious school when we started to look but she changed her mind when she realized that ruled out a huge portion of the schools she could get into.
How religious schools are really varies. You may just have to take one class on world religions. Others insist on attending church services. They have a great community service ethos and that may appeal to her. I think when faced with the crunch of direct admit catholic school or no nursing she will choose Catholic school if she really wants to be a nurse.
When I researched the community college route I discovered it also seemed more competitive than other routes.
I think you will find your daughter will change a lot over the next year -18 months. Its a very scary process for many of them and even though she won’t admit it she is probably mad at herself for some of the choices she has made. She will take that out on you. Try not to get angry though or look back at what could have been.
Coming to this site you can think your daughter is the ugly duckling amongst all the swans. There are some really amazing young students on here with fantastic stats and ECs and it can be hard not to compare, but these are probably not your typical kid. Even knowing that she wants to be a math teacher or nurse at this age shows she is caring and wants to give back. Best of luck!
@g8rmomk8ans Believe me, I understand your frustration with a kid that refuses to do their best. My S17 missed out on being recruited for D1 football because of his grades. He had a 1.7 in core academic courses. He also has LDs, although he wasn’t tested until senior year of high school. My D22 really wants to be a nurse and is loving her Vo-Tech nursing (assistant) program, but is very hit or miss when it comes to motivation for academics. I’ve told her that what she does now will definitely affect her choices in the future but I don’t think she cares nearly as much as I do. I do think it’s hard for some teenagers to see past the present and plan for the future. Even my college-age students don’t think ahead as much as I think they should.
Another option, especially if finances aren’t an issue for you, is an ABSN program after finishing a bachelor’s degree in a non-nursing major (easiest with a science major).
@kidzncatz the ABSN could be a good option if all else fails. Exactly what I’m looking for—options! Plan A, Plan B, Plan C. Yes, it’s tough. Especially when her college sophomore sister is an extremely driven and successful student…hard to follow behind that for sure.
@lass71 WRT religious schools–we are non-religious but D21 is also LGBTQ, so I worry that it would not be a good environment for her. Not sure that there’s any way to know for sure without actually visiting. ??? I love the idea of Marymount for her since it’s so close to home but they do require two semesters of theology AND philosophy. I like for my kids to study religion because I did electively, but I’d worry that it would ONLY be Catholicism/Christianity that was covered and then with the LGBTQ thing, I just worry it would not be a good fit. Another question for her college counselor, I suppose.
Why does she want to be a nurse?
Start there.
Nursing is unusual among the health care professions (even pre-meds) where there is just not a lot of flexibility in the curriculum. There’s a set amount of content which needs to be mastered in a particular order, the strong programs have high pass rates for the boards which means that the students who make it through have a thorough grounding of the material.
If your D has shown so-so motivation for things she doesn’t think are relevant to her nursing career, she may find her training an absolute slog. And if she’s had trouble balancing her academic load with other things, managing her rotations, transportation, plus dorm living and doing laundry might prove to be really challenging.
If this were my kid, I’d be encouraging her to find a part time job- ASAP, working at a nursing home, a homeless shelter, a center for kids with developmental delays. Even if she’s working as the weekend receptionist and not doing anything hands on with people- give her some experience with a challenged population so she can figure out how intense her ambition is to become a nurse.
Even if she ends up- 20 years from now- managing a chain of plastic surgery centers where her only patients are affluent people getting cosmetic surgery-- between now and then, she’s going to be face-to-face with new immigrants with antibiotic resistant TB, women who are in labor but have had zero prenatal care, homeless men with diabetes who haven’t showered in a week.
If she finds she loves this experience, she will likely dig down and “get it together” for her program, whether or not it’s a direct admit. If she finds that it’s much too gritty for her, she’s got time to explore OT, PT, Speech, Genetic Counseling, or any number of other health professions.
@blossom She wants to be a nurse because she is the ultimate care giver. Nothing grosses her out like it does a lot of us, and she wants to help make healthcare experiences more comfortable for patients. She has an extremely open heart and takes care of everyone–she’s always been like this. I know that from my short hospital stays having babies, my nurse for a particular shift would make or break my day–she’d be the one where I’d be sad when her shift was over! I like to believe that she would do well with the rigor when it is directly relating to what she wants to do. She does plan to get work as a medical assistant as soon as she’s able to at 18, so that would be a good start to make sure this is the track she wants.
She sounds like she will make a wonderful nurse!
I totally understand you wanting to make sure your daughter is accepted at college. I think some Jesuit schools might be a good place to start. If you google Jesuit and the LGBT community there is definitely a wish to be inclusive. You probably want to also carefully choose which state she goes to as obviously some are more open and embracing than others. Here in California for example she would feel truly welcomed by all but perhaps a few very religious schools.
You can read student reviews on niche that will help give you an impression of the student body . I would also speak to admission counselors and ask if their school would be a good fit.
If she is happy to tell her story I bet she could write an excellent college essay.
There are those in the LGBTQ community who may be worried about seeking healthcare and getting understanding from providers. I am sure many nursing schools would love to have your daughter as they will want nurses who represent the diversity of our community .
I realized we know a friend whose niece went to Marymount for nursing. She said it was pretty inclusive and that she had several LGBT friends there. I think we’re going to schedule a visit. She’d also have the option to live at home/commute which is nice. Anxious to see what her college counselors have to say about it as far as it being a possible fit. I do NOT like that they have 12 required hours of religion/philosophy…that’s almost a semester’s worth of classes and is in addition to the other Core requirements. But do-able. @lass71 thank you for the kind words. I haven’t really thought about having her represent her community in the nursing field but she could definitely add something there!
@g8rmomk8ans - Does Loyola Marymount have nursing? I thought only Loyola Chicago had a nursing program?
@caymusjordan This discussion is about Marymount in Arlington, Virginia.